Cloth-marking device.



C. G. RICHARDSON.

CLOTH MARKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- s, v1913.

1 fififi a Patented May 21, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G. G. RICHARDSON.

CLOTH MARKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8. 1913.

1,26@ 628Q I 1 Pateni zed Ma 1,1918.

2 SHEETS- T 2.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIHI ll ll IIIIIIIIIHHIIIIIHIJI] CHARLES G. RICHARDSON, SPRINGFIELD, ONT.

qLo'rH-e DEVICE.

. Specification of Letters remit. t t ma 21, 191

Application filed September 8, 1913. Serial No. 788,585.

lengthmeasuring marks to the selvage or edge of' pieces of cloth at stated intervals and in such a manner as to givea clean out clearly defined impression of the marking die without blur. To this end the invention comprises. a combination with a suitable marking die and its device of a cloth supportlng wheel or platen wheel which presents a hard, smooth and cylindrical surface to the cloth while at the same time the platen is allowed to yield very slightly to the pressure of the die when impressing the mark.

Heretofore it has been customary to op- .pose to the marking die a platen wheel or roll whose surface is covered with. rubber or a I similar elastic yielding material which serves to oppose a yielding resistance to the pressure of the marking die but when printed on the cloth such an arrangement results in considerable blurring of the mark and it is the object of the present invention to overcome this difliculty.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated several forms of device embodying the principles of this invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a. cloth machine to which this invention is applied;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is an enlargeddetailed view in side elevation of the improved platen wheel;

Fig. 4 is a vertical central section taken transversely of the platen wheel and showattached; e elevation showing the desection and showing the into a. batching or rolling a i vice partly in vention apphed e a Fig. 6 is an elevation at right angles to the plane of Fig. 5;

arrange the driving gearing so as to Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the platen wheel shifting mechanism; and I Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are detailed views showng modifications of the platen wheel.

Referrin to the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 apphed to a well-known form of cloth measuring machine in which the cloth is drawn over the table A by the measuring roll I employ 'a rotary die carrying wheel B- to which the die B is properly secured to come into contact with the under side of the traveling piece of cloth through the aperture 'A in the table A. The die wheel is connected with the main driving shaft of the machine and is provided with spur teeth B? on its periphery meshing withthe pinion C of the ink fountain C. the details of which need not be explained as it forms no part of the present invention; and serves simply to supply ink to the die B.

' The platen wheel D is rotatably supported above the aperture A in the edge of the table A and is rotated by means of the gear D which is operatively connected with the a spur gear B of the die carrying wheel by means of'the idler pinions D D As shown in Figs. 3 and i this platen wheel D'is formed of a metallic ring or annulus D whose outer face is turned or machined to true cylindrical form. The interior of the ring is adapted toreceive a rubber core D which is snugly fitted over a central hollow hub D of the driving pinion or gear D. The hub D is mounted on the fixed stud .or journal D for revolution.

In practice in order to distributethe wear evenly around the platen wheel I prefer to give the platen wheel a very slight differential rotation in order that the pressure may be applied at diiferent points at each revolution of the die. This is accomplished in this case by adding, an extra gear tooth to the spur gear B so that if, for example, the gear D has twenty-eight teeth the gear B will have fifty-seven teeth. With this arrangement. a slight slip between the surface of the platen wheel and the cloth is permitted without disturbing the proper relationship between the traveling cloth and the revolvdie. %he interior elastic cord acts to hold the platen wheel with a sufiicient degree of pressure against the die when the die isin contact with the cloth while at the same time allowing the slight degree of yielding necessary to accommodate the greatly varying thicknesses of cloth with the result that there is no blurring of the mark printed on the cloth.

In Figs. and 6 I have shown an application of the same principle to a cloth batching or rolling machine or to any type of machine in which the platen is arranged beneath the cloth or on the shaft which carries the cloth supporting drum whose revolutions determine the travel of the cloth.

In this Jase the die carrying wheel B. the die B and the ink fountain C have the same construction and arrangement as in the case of the cloth measuring machine shown in Fig. 1. The cloth travels over the drum E whose shaft E carries a spur gear I? intermeshing the spur gear periphery B of the die carrying wheel B.

At one end of the drmn E is mountedthe platen heel D surrounding the interior elastic core D which tits snugly over the hub of the ratchet wheel ,D This ratchet wheel is engaged by a pawl F pivotally mounted on the end of the bell cranklever F so as to shift the ratchet wheel D one tooth each'tlme that lever F is oscillated in a forward direction. The oscillation of the bell crank lever F is accom plishcd at each revolution of the drum shaft I by means of the eccentric cam F secured to the shaft and which engages the vertical arm of the bell crank lever. The lever F is carried by the fixed bracket 1? and may be kept pressed in contact with the cam F by gravity or by means of a tension spring.

At each revolution of the shaft E and the cam F the rachet wheel is moved one tooth in advance of the shaft thus shifting the platen wheel D so as to bring a diiferent portion of its surface opposite to the marking die at each succes ive marking operation. At the same time the relation of the cloth (l1ll.111 E to the marking die B remains constant and undisturbed so that the die will impress the mark at uniform intervals along the edge of the cloth. In Fig. S I have shown a modified form of platen wheel which has thecharacteristics of the form first shown. namely. a hard smooth. cylindrical surface for contact with the cloth hich shall. nevertheless. yield slightly under pressure of the die according to the thickness of the cloth being marked. In this case the marking wheel G has a portion of its periphery. for a considerable are cut away and its place supplied by a lever G pivoted to normally form an exact continuation of the cylindrical peripheral surface of the wheel. The pivoted lever is normally pres ed outward to true cylindrical position formed around the hub I by means of a tension spring G and its peripheral face is prevented from moving outside the cylindrical line by engagement with the lip or rim of the wheel as shown at G.

In Fig. 9 still another modified form of platen wheel preserving these characteristics is shown. In this case the periphery of the wheel H is cut away for a considerable arc and in the recess thus formed is secured at one end a spring arm'H whose surface has the same curvature as the cylindrical surface of the platenwheel and whose free end is formed with inset lip H to engage a projecting piece H secured in the periphery of the wheel.

Still another form of hard surface yielding platen wheel is shown in Fig. 10 in which the ring I is provided for a series of inwardly projecting radial pins 1 cpposed to outwardly projecting radial pins I- Coil springs I* serve as a flexible and yielding connection between the peripheral ring I and the central hub I the radial pins acting as guides for positioning and holding the springs in place. s

With the forms of platen wheel shown in Figs. 8 and 9 no provision would be made for shifting the platen wheel differentially so as to bring the diflerent portions of its surface opposite the marking die as new spring arms can be readily substituted for old ones when they become worn. without the necessity of constructing a new wheel. The forms shown. however. in Figs. 3 and- 10 are adapted for use in connection with a a differential or shifting movement since the whole periphery of these two forms of wheel is yieldingly supported.

Another feature of importance is the adjustment of the relative positions of the die and the platen to secure the right degree of pressure for different thicknesses of fabric to be marked. Since the adjustment of the revolving die B in or out would vary the spacing of the marks on the cloth, provision has been made for adjusting the platen D toward or away from the path of the die, this being accomplished, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. by mounting the arm (I on the center d,-so as to permit it to be swung toward or away from the path of the revolving die. The hub d of the arm (1 carries a rigid or integral stud d, which forms the journal for the pinion D while the other end is screw threaded to receive a clamping nut d which clamps it against the supporting bracket (1 in any desired position of adjustment.

It. will be observed. moreover. that the platen wheel instead of being turned by frictional contact with the fabric is positively messes form distribution of pressure over every portion of the periphery of the platen.

What I claim is:

l. A cloth-marking machine embracing in its construction a revolving gear, a clothmarkin die secured to one side of said gear, a cylin rical platen wheel mounted opposite the edge of the traveling cloth and in the same plane with the said die, said platen wheel having a hard exterior surface yieldingly mounted upon its central driving shaft said revolving gear and the said platen wheel being positively interconnected by gearing proportioned to cause the marking surface of the die and the exterior surface of the platen wheel to move positively on opposite sides of the cloth at the same surface speed, and means whereby the cloth is fed with its edge portion between said die and said platen so as to travel at the same surface speed as the die and the platen, substantially as described. s

2. A cloth marking machine embracing means for continuously feeding the web of cloth, in combination with a revolving marking die, a cooperating rotary platen wheel having a peripheral cloth-engaging surface of hard material mounted to oppose a yielding resistance to the pressure of the die against the cloth, and means for positively rotating said platen wheel at substantially the same surface speed as the travel of the cloth, said rotating means operating to present different portions of the laten wheel surface to the pressure of the ie on successive marking operations, substantially as described.

3. In a cloth marking machine the combito the pressure of the ie at successive revolutions of the die substantially as described.

4. In a cloth marking machine the combination of a revolving die, a cooperating rotary platen wheel having a hard cylindrical surface mounted to yield in a radial direction under the pressure of the revolving die, an interconnecting gearing for causing the platen wheel and the revolving die to rotate at the same surface speed, the gear teeth of said gearing having a slightly irregular ratio whereby a different portion of the peripheral surface of the platen wheel is brought into contact with the revolving die on successive revolutions, substantially as described.

In witness whereof, I have subscribed the above specification.

CHARLES G. RICHARDSON. In the presence of ANNIE BEATRICE BURKE, FRANCES M. DoUGLAss. 

